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London, England, UK
London is the capital city of England, as well as the largest in Great Britain. It is considered one of the major cities of the world and a central international location in fashion, business, art, architecture, history, technology, tourism, and housing. It is the third-largest city in Europe. People Born in London Alexi Lubomirski Catherine Howard Catherine Parr Charles II Elizabeth Taylor Georgina Chapman Gerard Manley Hopkins Henry VIII Isabella Beeton Jez Smith John Scott-Ellis Keira Knightley Olivia Hallinan Simon Cowell Sophie Dahl Thomas More Tom Sturridge Victoria, Queen of England Buckingham Palace at sunset.jpg Dispatch-from-London-Festival-of-Architecture-01-403x234.jpg King Cross.jpg London_5.jpg londonview_2500920b.jpg London in People's Lives Abbey Lee Kershaw: This is one of my favorite cities, and I prefer it to New York. If forced to choose, I would (and have) skip New York Fashion Week for this city's version. I am often here for shows, events, and shoots. Adelaide Kane: I traveled here in August 2014 and met up with a childhood friend of mine. Agatha Christie: During my childhood, I frequently visited and stayed with my aunt and grandmother here. In 1914, I was married here, and my husband and I settled into a flat in Northeast London. It was here that my first novels were published. Anne Boleyn: I became the mistress of King Henry VIII in London in 1553, and he overthrew the papacy and left his wife in order to marry me. I was crowned Queen Regent of England here in 1533, and beheaded here in 1536. Anne of Cleves: I travelled here in 1540 in order to marry King Henry VIII, and was crowned Queen Regent here. My marriage did not go so very well, and my time in this city was mainly troubled by increasing stress between us. I left only a few months later to live in the countryside, though I did come back to court frequently in the following years. Arnold Bennett: I moved from my smaller hometown to London in 1888. I was 21, and started working as an editor. Connie Talbot: I traveled here in 2007 to compete in Britain's Got Talent. I was 7 years old, but was a favorite to win, and placed third. Edmund Barton: I visited here in 1900, along with Alfred Deakin and Charles Kingston, in order to explain and argue the federation bill back in my homeland of Australia to the British government. I was only partially successful. I returned to this city for a much better visit in 1902, to attend the coronation of Edward VII and to accept a knighthood. George Vancouver: I returned from years of highly successful voyages of exploration to London in 1795, only to be harassed, slandered, challenged to a duel, and stalked and assaulted on a street-corner by the Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger - all while in ill health. Before I could restore my good name, I died here in 1798. Georgina Chapman: I was born here in 1976, to the multi-millionaire owner of a coffee company and a journalist. I attended the University of Arts London from about 1997 - 2001, majoring in design, after which I began my career as a costume designer for entertainment productions. This gave me the idea to try out acting, and I appeared in a few TV shows and landed minor roles in movies. I launched the line Marchesa in 2004 with my partner Keren Craig, which quickly rose to become one of the most successful lines in upper-tier fashion. I moved away from this city around 2004, after meeting my future husband Harvey Weinstein. Henry Morgan: After decades of ravaging the Caribbean and South American coasts with my powerful pirate fleet, I was arrested in 1672 for sacking Panama City, a violation of the peace treaty between the English and the Spanish made in 1670. In extended trials, I protested that I had never heard of this treaty, having left the United Kingdom many years ago, and having little contact with the European world, mainly living on the sea. The charges were dropped, and when relations with Spain became strained and eventually failed altogether, I was knighted, made Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica, and allowed to return freely to the Caribbean in 1674 to continue piracy. Isabella Beeton: I was born here at 24 Milk Street in the Cheapside area in 1836. My father died when I was very young, and my mother re-married and moved away to Epsom. I returned years later, in 1856, now a married woman. At my husband and I's large, Italian-style home in the Hatch End district, I gave birth to our firstborn child, a son, and began writing articles, under the encouragement and aid of my husband, a newspaper man. I was a monthly contributor to a women's magazine, and eventually compiled my recipes, tips, and household advice into a book, Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management, which became a wildly popular bestseller. I died here of a fever in 1865, only 28 years old. My husband kept my death a secret from the public, and continued publishing updates on my book, new versions, and even newspaper articles in my name. Javier Hernandez: I first visited here in 2010, after being signed to play professional futball for Manchester. My first game here was also in 2010, at the FA Community Shield playing a team from Chelsea in this city. I scored the first goal of the game, and we won 3-1. John Scott-Ellis: I was born here in 1912 into a wealthy, aristocratic family that was a part of the British peerage, the son of Thomas Scott-Ellis, the 8th Baron Harold de Walden. My family owned about 100 acres of central London, over 8,000 acres in Ayrshire, the Island of Shona, countless farms in Kenya and some in South America, and land in the United States and Canada. I spent much of my life at Avington Manor in the Cranmer Court area of this city. Julien Blanc: I traveled here in September of 2014 to give seminars on how to seduce, emotionally manipulate, and sexually dominate women. However, there was an uproar over my teachings, which many alleged supported and instructed on abuse and rape. Seminars that I was scheduled to coach later in the year were cancelled. Keira Knightley: London has always played a large role in my life. I was born here in 1985, in the quiet, green neighborhood of Teddington. I filmed my first major film, Bend it Like Beckham, here in 2001, and after that shot many other movies here, including Love Actually. Liam Neeson: I moved here in 1981 to further my acting career, and began living with Helen Mirren. I was cast in my first major films here, and moved away in 1987. I also filmed scenes of Love Actually here in 2002. Luisa Casati: Though I had visited numerous times before throughout the 1920's, spending my trips dressing extravagently, attending lavish high society parties, and enjoying the captivated attention of some of the greatest men and newspapers in Europe, I moved to this city in 1930 in disgrace. A staggering accumulated debt of $25 million (approximately $325 million today) had recently forced me to sell off my homes, clothes, and personal possessions. I was absolutely humiliated, and felt as if I was not myself without my fineries and fashionable wardrobe. Rumors swirled that I had been seen rummaging in trash bins for feathers to adorn my hair. I lived the rest of my life at 32 Beaufort Gardens in the Knightsbridge area of this city. Thankfully, I was able to gain more stability in the later years of my life, if not ever recovering the worldwide fame and admiration that I had once enjoyed. I died at my home in 1957, at the age of 76. I was buried at the Brompton Oratory with the inscription "Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety," as had described Cleopatra in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. I was buried ornately in black and leopard-skin, with a stuffed Pekingese dog, wearing fake eyelashes. Had I been able to say so, I would have approved. Ralph Fiennes: I moved here in 1980 to pursue painting at an arts college in this city. However, I soon realized that my true passion was acting, and switched to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art from 1983 - 1985. I was a part of several theater troupes before finding success in the Royal Shakespeare Company. I got a few minor background appearances in film, beginning in 1990, but no big roles. I continued to pursue acting, however, and in 1992 was cast as Heathcliff in a film version of Wuthering Heights. From there, my acting career took off into A-list stardom, during which I still remained my same grounded, inquisitive self. I live here part time now, splitting my life between this city and Manhattan, as well as constant travel. Roald Dahl: In 1934, at the age of 17, I began working for the Shell Petroleum Company and underwent training for two years. In 1936, I was relocated by the company to Mombasa, Kenya. By the time I came back from Africa and the Middle East to this city, I was a seasoned and promoted pilot in the Royal Air Force that had seen combat, battles, and a crash. After developing a series of headaches that caused me to black out, I was sent home as an invalid, back to this city in 1941. My hopes were that I would recover and become a flying instructor. In 1942, I met Harold Balfour, 1st Baron Balfour at a London gentleman's club. Balfour, who was the Under-Secretary of State for Air at the time, was so impressed by me that he offered me a job as assistant air attache at the British Embassy in Washington D.C. It wasn't the type of career that I had seen for myself, and I was reluctant. However, Balfour persisted, and eventually convinced me to accept the position. And so, at the age of 26, I was not only a promoted war veteran but also working for the government. I packed up my entire life and headed to Glasgow to board a ship to America only a few days later. After decades of being married to a movie star, I divorced her and married my girlfriend Liccy a few months later. I re-married in this city in the Brixton Town Hall. Romola Garai: I left my family's small town of Atworth to move to the big city of London in 1998, at the age of 16. I came here to attend the City of London School for Girls, where I completed my A-levels. During this time, I lived with my older sister Rosie. I developed a passion for theater and drama, and appeared in many of the school's plays. I also began working with the National Youth Theater, and during one of their plays was spotted by an agent, who got me my first part: playing the role of a younger Judi Dench in The Last of the Blonde Bombshells. I was thrilled, but made sure to still focus on school in the midst of acting. I also dabbled in modelling. I began studies at Queen Mary University of London in 2000, working on a major in English and aspiring to be a journalist like my mother, but my love for acting kept pulling me away. In 2001, I transferred to the Open University, which allowed virtual schooling that was easier to fit into my own personal schedule. Meanwhile, I kept getting calls and opportunities in theater productions, movies, and TV shows. Inspired by this, I decided to leave my education with an Associate's Degree in English from Open University, and focus instead on my acting career. Now, though I am often traveling for acting work and events, I still live here. Rudyard Kipling: After completing a long adventure and tour around Asia and the United States, I debuted here in "the literary center of the British World," in 1889. Having been publishing countless articles and short stories during my voyages, I had been garnering wild acclaim along the way, and was greeted in London with great success. Immediately, I had contracts with publishers. I also got an apartment in the Strand, an area that I called "primitive and passionate." Though my rooms were a bit shabby and cluttered, I loved sitting at my desk and looking out at the street and into the Gatti Music Hall, through the window of which I could see the stage. I published my first novel, The Light That Failed, here in 1890, a bitter memoir of my failed first love with Flo Gerrard. In 1891, I recieved word that a friend of mine, whom I had traveled through much of the United States with, had died of typhoid fever. I was distraught enough to return to this city, the place of his death, cancelling my plans of spending Christmas with my family in India. Two years ago, I had gone with him to visit his family in Beaver, Pennsylvania, and had met his sister Carrie, who was three years older than I was. We had at times written each other letters since then. Though no one at all seemed to have gotten the impression that we were courting each other, I later insisted that we had been, to the skepticism of many. Immediately after my friend's death, I sent a telegram asking Carrie to marry me. She accepted and we began making plans of living together in the northern United States. However, I saw soon afterward met Flo Gerrard - the turbulent fascination of my youth, and my first love - on the street and fell wildly back in love with her. I broke up my engagement to Carrie and pursued Flo, but she rejected me again. I fell into depression and mild ill health, and suffered a nervous breakdown. I was advised by my doctor to return to a warmer climate - advice that did not take much convincing before I set out on another voyage. After returning a few months later, much recovered, I continued my relationship with Carrie, and we were married at All Saints Church in January, 1892, in the midst of a severe epidemic of influenza. My friend Henry James gave the bride away. I was 26 years old, and Carrie was 29. We left London on our honeymoon to the United States. Though I never again lived in this city afterward, I did visit it quite often throughout the rest of my life. When I died in 1936, I was buried in the Poet's Corner at Westminster Abbey, beside the graves of Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy. Ruth Wilson: Growing up in Surrey, I lived in close proximity to this city all my life, and often found myself here. I attended the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art here from 2003 - 2005, pursuing my interest in acting. I also prepared to launch a production company. For the rest of my life, I have often been here for acting work and events. Samuel Morse: After graduating from Yale and supporting myself with painting, my artistic works caught the eye of famous painter Washington Allston, who offered to mentor me if I accompanied him to England. I agreed, though the finer details, such as information about my studies and the length of time that I would spend in England, were left ultimately to the discretion of my father, Jedidiah Morse. I became an apt pupil of Allston, and gained a place in the Royal Academy of Arts in 1811, a few months after arriving in Europe. I concentrated on Renaissance painters, anatomy, and on sketching live subjects, and tried my hand at sculpting as well. It was during my studies under both Allston and the Academy that I painted what is known as my masterpiece, The Dying Hercules. During my time in England, the War of 1812 flared back in America, and as I considered myself anti-Federalist, meaning that I sided with the French and by default opposed the British, some conflicts arose. I continued painting successfully, and returned to the United States in 1815, ready to make a name for myself as a professional artist. I returned in 1838 after just inventing the telegraph, but failing to find a financial investor. I hoped that I would find one in this city, but found that someone had already invented and patented the European version of the telegraph, invalidating any claim that I could hope to make in Europe. Disheartened, I returned to the United States. Sarah Gadon: I traveled here in 2012 to film scenes of the movie Belle. Sigmund Freud: Through the help and intervention of many friends, I was able to flee antisemitism into this city in 1938. I was heartbroken to leave my beloved home of Vienna. My last home was in this city, in the Hamstead area. After a long and torturously painful endurance of a cancerous jaw, I asked my doctor to administer me fatal doses of morphine. I died here in 1939. Simon Cowell: This is the major city of my life. I was born here, in the Lambeth area, in 1959, the son of a music industry executive and a ballet dancer. Though I was not raised here, I returned as a young man around 1975, and soon began taking the blended industry and television and music by storm. I am now one of the most successful people in the world. Sophie Dahl: I was born here in 1977, the daughter of an actor and a writer, and the granddaughter of Roald Dahl. Though I moved away as a child, I was often here as a young adult for my modeling career. Stephen Moyer: I attended the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art here, around 1988. I am frequently here for acting work. Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire: I worked here for most of my life and was at court for much of the rest of it, beginning around 1487 and concluding around 1539, the year of my death. I was renowned for my gift with languages and as an adept politician and diplomat. I served as a favorite of Henry VIII, and his most highly trusted diplomat. Thomas More: I was born on Milk Street here in 1478, the son of a wealthy and respected lawyer. I was educated at the prestigious St. Anthony's School - the best in the city - as a boy. I left to attend the University of Oxford for two years, from 1492 - 1494, coming back at my father's insistance that I push to begin law training as soon as possible. I was only 16 when I began law school, of sorts. In 1502, I passed the bar and was officially made a lawyer, at the age of 24. Directly after this, however, I felt a deep insecurity and doubt about adopting the legal profession. I considered becoming a monk, and from 1503 - 1504 lived in a monastery outside London. Though I appreciated my time there, I decided to return to work as a laywer, as was elected to Parliament in 1504. I married here in 1505. I lived all of my life in this city, having children, remarrying, and climbing the social ladder adeptly. After becoming a member of Parliament, I was also elected an undersheriff of London in 1510, Master of Requests in 1514, Privy Councillor in 1514, knighted in 1521, Under-Treasurer in 1521, and also became a close advisor of King Henry VIII. For the rest of my life, I was an integral part of life at the royal court, enjoying wealth and prestige. However, in 1535, I disapproved about the king breaking with the pope, and refused to acknowledge him as Supreme Head of the Church of England. For this, I was imprisoned in the Tower of London and given a trial, being charged with treason. I was found guilty very quickly. After all the decades I had spent as the king's trusted advisor, it only took a cursory fifteen minute trial for it all to be forgotten, my services erased and me now branded a "traitor." I was beheaded, and my head was put on a stake on the London Bridge for one month. Tom Sturridge: I was born here in 1985, in the Lambeth area, to a very cinematic family. My father, Charles Sturridge, was a director, producer and screen writer, and my mother, Phoebe Nicholls, was an actress. My paternal grandparents, Anthony Nicholls and Faith Kent, were also actors. I am the eldest of three children. I attended boy's school at the Harrodian School in southwest London. I landed my first acting jobs in this city, and still live here. Victoria, Queen of England: This was the integral city of my life. I was born here in 1819, at that time fifth in line for the throne. I was raised under the agonizingly strict rules and prohibitations of my mother in Kensington Palace. I was not allowed to interact with anyone, and my mother schemed of ways to set up a regency in which she, as my mother, would rule as queen in my stead. Consequentially, I grew to hate Kensington Palace. At the age of 18, I was crowned Queen of Great Britain at Westminster Abbey in 1830. I moved into Buckingham Palace, which no English sovereign had ever lived at before. Though it was not yet finished, with leaking drains, doors that didn't shut properly, and drafts, I loved the palace, and considered it my first and only home. My mother was kept out of my prescence back at Kensington. I married Albert, the love of my life, in 1840 at St. James' Palace, and mourned his sudden death in 1860. I built the Albert Memorial in Regent Park in his honor, and wore black for the rest of my life in mourning of him. I continued to rule as Queen for over 63 years, making me the longest-reigning British monarch and the longest-reigning female ruler in all of history. My reign was so influential and progressive that it is now known as "the Victorian Era." Viggo Mortensen: After completing my university studies, I traveled here and lived in this city for a few months in 1980. Now, I frequently visit for acting work and events. Vivienne Westwood: After moving here in 1958, at the age of 17, this city became my home and the central location of my life. I attended the University of Westminster here in 1959, majoring in fashion and silversmithing, but I dropped out after a year, feeling that a working class girl trying to break into the fashion industry was hopeless. Instead, I took a factory job and later one as a primary school teacher. Still, fashion and design persisted in coming up in my life. I began to craft my own jewelry and sell it at a stall on Portobello Road. I married my first husband here in 1962, and made my own wedding dress. I had my first child in 1963. Two years later, I left my marriage and went to live with Malcolm McLaren. In 1971, we opened a boutique on King's Road, where I designed and sold punk clothing inspired by bikers, fetish, and prostitutes. My family thought I had gone insane. However, I gained widespread acclaim after the band The Sex Pistols began wearing my designs. I had my second child, this time with McLaren, in 1967. From then on, I eventually rose to the most elite tiers of high fashion, making a reputation for myself as a free, unique, high-fashion punk rocker. I absolutely love this city, and have never considered leaving it. Some of my favorite places in London are the Cortauld Institute of Art, the Wallace Collection, Whitechapel, Hampton Court, the London Symphony Orchestra, Brixton Market, the National Gallery, and Electric Avenue. I appreciate the city's flair for art and high culture. I live in a historic house built in 1703, which was once owned by the mother of James Cook. Washington Allston: I sailed here from Charleston in 1801, to pursue my painting. I was admitted into the Royal Academy of Arts later in the year, and soon became a pupil, admirer, and friend of the academy's president, Benjamin West. My time spent at the academy were some of the best days of my life. I left in 1803 to explore and be inspired by Europe beyond Great Britain. When I returned in 1812, now a married man, I recieved great acclaim, and became a notable member of London artistic society. I published my first book here in 1813, a collection of poetry. However, my luminous life was shattered when my wife died in 1815. Suddenly, I felt alone and greatly homesick. I tried to remain in London for a few more years, hoping that my sadness would pass, but it didn't. I sailed back to America in 1818, never to see this great city again. William Penn: I was born here in 1644, in the Tower Hill neighborhood, into a wealthy English family. My father was a famed admiral, and my mother was the daughter of a powerful Dutch merchant. When I was about 8, making the year approximately 1652, I became very ill with smallpox, causing me to lose all of my hair, a flaw that I remained very self-conscious about all my life. My ill health persuaded my parents to leave London and move to the countryside. During my youth and young adult life, this city was a central location for me. I had the misfortune to be here when Plague struck in 1665, but found strength in my Quaker faith. When I returned in 1666, just after the Great Fire of London, I found that the city depressed me. I thought it transformed into a gloomy, hopeless place, and was all too eager to leave. When I returned in 1668, to publish a series of Quaker tracts, I was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London on a charge of blasphemy, signed by King Charles II. Though threatened with execution, I refused to recant my statements. I was released after 8 months, and arrested again in 1670. William the Conqueror: I was crowned King of England here in 1066, in Westminster Abbey. William White, Bishop of Pennsylvania: I sailed here from my home of Philadelphia in 1770 in order to get ordained. The ceremony took place at St. James' Palace in the Westminster area. I returned in 1787 to be consecrated as Bishop of Pennsylvania. Zoe Saldana: I frequently travel here for work. In 2013, I secretly married my boyfriend here, an Italian artist. Zuzanna Bijoch: I have traveled here, walked in shows here, and done shoots here countless times as part of my work as a high fashion model. I am agency represented here by Next. Category:Places Category:England Category:Europe